Electrochemical apparatus and process.



E. H. MEYER & J. M. A. ST ILLESEN. ELECTROCHEMICAL APPARATUS AND PROCESS.

APPLICATION IILED' MAR. 20. 1908.

A 965,393. Patentd' July 26,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. H. MEYER J. M. A. STILLESEN. 1E LECTROGHEISCIIGAL APPARATUS AND PROCESS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20,,1908.

965,393. Patented July 26,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

QQRW I gvwemfow Q ,W ss1 twaftmw UNITED STATES PATENT orsion.

EINAR HONOR ATUS MEYER AND JOB MORTEN AUGUST STILLESEN, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO, CANADA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EINAR HONORATUS MEYER and J on Momnn AUGUST STILLESEN, subjects of the King of Norway, residing at Niagara Falls, in the Dominion of Canada,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrochemical Apparatus and Processes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to electro-chemistry, and has particular reference to a process of, and apparatus for, producing calcium carbid continuously from the raw materials, limestone and coal,'without loss of heat or of by-products.

In the treatment of'lime and carbon in the electric furnace to form calcium carbid, carbon monoxid is produced, while to reduce the limestone to lime, and coal to carbon, heat is required, which heat, according to-this invention, is produced b the combustion of the carbon monoxi from the carbid furnace withair. The gaseous products from the limestone and coal retort consist principally of carbon dioxid and nitrogen, and the invention further comprises a process and apparatus whereby the nitrogen can be isolated and combined with calcium carbid to form calcium cyanarnid.

The invention with reference to the apparatus, will be more fully understood in connection with the description of the accompanying drawings, and the process will be understood in fjnnection with the description of the operation of the-apparatus.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation,

partly in sectiomof the apparatus. Fig. 2-

is a diagrammatic View showing theconncctions between the parts of, the apparatus. 1 is a stack built of a common brick and supported-in the manner shown. The upper half 2, built of refractory material, forms a retort for the reduction of limestone into lime and coal into carbon. Both the limestone and coal are fed in through the feed-.

in apparatus 4 in a finely crushed form. A ter the limestone has been reduced to lime and the coal to carbon, the charge is dropped down into the receiver 3 (built of refractory material), from which it is fed down to the furnace 5 by means of pump 6.

' vertical as shown, for the purpose of secur- The carbid furnace 5 is inclined to the ing better efiiciency, and to enable the charge ELECTROCHEMICAL APPARATUS AND PROCESS.

Specification of Letters Patent ,PatentedJu1v26, 1910, Application filed March 20, 1908. enial No. 422,240. i

to be supplied at the bottom of the furnace at the hottest part;

8 is a movable electrode, and 9 a fixedb owl-shaped electrode, with circuit connections with a source of electricity, not shown.

10 is a motor geared to move the electrode 8 toward and from the electrode 9, and controlled in any desired manner.

From thefurnace 5 a gas vent pipe 12 connects withrings 13, from which the gas is supplied tothe conical burner 14: in the retort 2, after being mixed with air, and burned therein to reduce the coal and limestone. As herein shown, there are three fur- -naces 5, all supplied from the reservoir 3,

and furnishing gas to the burner 14. This burner preferably is conical as, shown, and consists of pipes having perforations at the bottom, so that they will not become clogged by the charge. Acetylene or other gas can be supplied to a pilot burner 15 to insure ignition of the monoxid at the burner and the gases from the coal. These burners are located under a finely meshed grate 16.

In Fig. 2 is shown a diagram of the piping for the burners and the controlling valves, a number of which are used for independently controlling sections of the burners, so that the heat can be minutely controlled. A sufficient supply of air is admitted with the gas to burn all the gases in the retort 2 to carbon dioxid and water, so that the gases passing out at the top, through pipe 18 will consistprincipally of carbon dioxid and nitrogen. A valve conpassesby'pipe 20 through a fan 22, to a drier, not shown, thence through a pipe 23 to the cyanamid furnace 25. This latter furnace consists of an air-tight drum on a foundation 2G, and is heated by carbon mon- QXlCl gas from the carbid furnace, if desired, ignited by acetylene orother means.

In carrying out the process of the invention, whereby calcium carbid is made from the raw material, the coal and limestone charged into retort 2 is admitted to reservoir 3 and thence fed while still hot into the furnace 5, and thence the melted carbid when formed, is tapped out from the bot tom of the furnace 5, and is ready for use after' being cooled and crushed, in making trlc energy.

calcium cyanamid, or for other purposes.

The carbid made by the continuous process for raw material newly burned and yet' warm, does not cool the furnace upon its introduction, and is furthermore fed in at the bottom, at the hottest portion, so that carbid is produced "at a small outlay of elec- The process of extracting nitrogen con sists in passing the gases rom the retort (suflicient air having been admitted with the gas to consume all the 'monoxid and hydrocarbons) and then passed through the calcium hydroxid.

So far as we are aware, it has not heretofore been proposed to produce calcium carbid from the raw materials in a single process, nor has it heretofore been proposed to utilize the gaseous products from the reduction of coaland limestoneto obtain nitrogen.

Having thus described our invention, we declare that what we claim as new and desire to secure byvLetters Patent, is

1. The process of making calcium carbid comprising reducing a mixture containing coal and limestone to carbon and lime in a separate chamber by the combustion of a gas containing carbon. monoxid in intimate contact with said mixture, feeding the reduced carbon and lime without cooling from said chamber into an electric furnace, and subjecting the same therein to the action of an electric arc. a

2. The process of making calcium carbid comprising treating a mixture comprising lime and carbon in an electric are, burning the resultantevolved carbon monoxid with addition of air in direct contact with limestone and coal-contained in a separate chamber to produce lime and carbon, and discharging the lime and carbon from said chamber without cooling into an electric are.

3.- The process of making calcium carbid comprising forming an are between a plurality of electrodes feeding reduced lime therein, collecting the reduced mixture of as containing carbon monoxid and burning the same,

carbon and lime in a separate inclosure as a mass and withdrawing from said collected mass a desired quantity without cooling, charging the same into an electric furnace and subjecting the same therein to the acand limestone to reduce the same to a mix' ture of carbon and lime; collecting the reduced mixture of carbon and lime as a mass in a,separate inclosure, tapping from said inclosure without cooling a desired quantity,

and subjecting the same to the action of an electric are.

6. The process of making calcium carbid comprising collecting the gas evolved upon subjecting a mixture of lime and carbon to the action of an electric are, adding air to said evolved gas and igniting the-resulting mixture of gases in a mixture oflimestone and coal con ained in a separate reducing chamber, to produce areduced mixture of lime and carbon, discharging the reducedmixture from said chamber without cooling to a separate chamber, thereby collecting a mass of said reduced mixture in a separate chamber, and tapping from said mass of reduced mixture without cooling any desired quantity and subjecting the same to the action of an electric arc.

7.The process of making calcium carbid comprising collecting the gases evolved upon subjecting -a mixture of lime and carbon to the action of an electric arc, leading said evolved gases through aplurality of pipes disposed in the bottom of a retort and opening at said bot-tom into said retort, igniting said gases in a mixturefof coal and limestone supported on said bottom, thereby producing a reduced mixture of carbon and lime, discharging said mixture of carbon and lime into a furnace and subjecting the same to the action of an electric arc.

8. The combination with a carbidfurnace, of a retort. adapted to contain coal and limestone,.means for burning thegases from the furnace in intimate relation with the contents of the retort, whereby to reduce the same to carbon and lime, and means for separating nitrogen from the gases from the retort.

of a retort adapted to contain coal and limestone, means for burning the gases from the furnace in intimate relation with the contents of the retort, whereby to reduce the same to carbon and lime, means for separating nitrogen front the gases from the retort, and means. for producingcalcium cyanamid from the nitrogen so obtained.

10. The process of obtaining nitrogen,-

tion all but nitrogen.

which comprises conducting the gases evolved from the treatment of a carbid producing charge in an electric furnace, igniting saidevolved gases with air, and removsisting in passing a mixture of air and combustible gas through a mass of coal and lime stone and igniting the same, and treating the resultant gases with a solution. of calcium hydrate whereby to absorb all but nitrogen and water vapor.-vv

.13. The pr'g'cess of obtaining nitrogen as a by-product in electrolytic calcium carbid manufa ctu're, consisting in lgnlting the gases from the electrolytic furnace with air, and

then passing the products of such combustion through calcium hydrate.

14 A process for obtaining-lime, carbon and nitrogen simultaneously, consisting in igniting a mixture of combustible gas and air in intimate relation with coal and limestone to produce carbon and lime," and passing the gaseous products of such combus tion through an absorbent'of-carbon dioxid.

15. A process for obtaining lime, carbon and nitrogen simultaneously with calcium carbid, consisting in forming calcium carbid in an electric arc, igniting the gases therefrom mixed with air in intimate relation With coal and limestone to form carbon and lime, and passing the products of such ignition through an absorbent of carbon dioxid.

16. The process of obtaining nitrogen as a by-product in electrolytic calcium carbid manufacture, consisting in igniting the gases from the electrolytic urnace 'with air, and

then passing the products of such combus-v tion through an absorbent of carbon dioxid.

17. The process of obtaining nitrogen consisting in igniting a mixture of carbon monoxid and a predetermined .portion of air inintimate relation with limestone to produce lime, and passing the gaseous products of such combustion through an absorbent of carbon dioxid gas.

18. The process consisting in passing a mixture of air and combustible gas froma carbid furnace through coal and limestone,

igniting the same to reduce the coal and llmestone, and removing all but nitrogen from the resultantgases.

19. The process consisting in collecting the gases evolved from the treatment of a carbid producingjcharge in a furnace, mix -1ng said same,

gases with air and igniting the an passing the resultant gases through calcium hydrate.

- 20. The process of obtaining nitrogen consisting in igniting a mixture'of gases evolved from a carbid producing charge and air in intimate relation with limestone to produce lime for another carbid charge, andeliminatin carbon dioxid from the gaseous product 0 such ignition.

s 21. The process of obtaining nitrogen con-' sisting in igniting a mixture of gases evolved from a carbid producing charge and air in intimate relation with llmestone to produce lime for another carbid charge, and passing the gaseous products of such ignition through an absorbent of carbon dioxid. 22. The process of obtaining nitrogen consisting in igniting a ,mixture 0 from a carbid producing charge and air in intimate relation with limestone to produce lime 'foranother carbid charge, and removing from the gaseous product of such ignition all but nitrogen.

23. The process of obtaining nitrogen con: sisting in igniting a mixture of gases from an electrolytic furnace andair in intimate relation with limestone to produce lime for another carbid charge, and eliminatin carbon dioxid from the gaseous product o such ignition. 1 In testimony whereof we affix our-signatur'es, in presence of two witnesses.

EINAR HONORATUS MEYER. JOB MORTEN AUGUST STILLESEN. W nesses:

HARRY MARsLY, AUGUSTUS LorzAR.

gases evolved 

